Lethe: Reaching you from another world
by Error205
Summary: Born as a powerful wizard, unable of feeling, a strange encounter and a tempting suggestion will lead him to another world, in a new reality, in order to reach her. Will he play the game to the end? JuminxMC
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Once upon a time, in a universe just a little bit different from ours, a wizard was born. And as everyone said, he was a little bit different himself, for he was born with great power. It's not as it was prophesied from the beginning of his world's creation, his birth was not celebrated with honors, but since the day he was born, he held the power of creation himself.

And thus he was feared, as much as he was respected and as much he was depended on by others. And he could tell, that no matter how much he studied, no matter how much he trained and worked to keep his power in check, no matter how much he tried to put his gift to good use, noone could look past his power.

Well, almost noone. In this world where magic was everything, he managed to make an unlikely friend. The said friend wondered into this lonely garden just like that one day, his green hair were a bit messy and though he was clearly lost, he just smiled and gave him his name. And he kept coming back, again and again, wearing his unchanging, sincere smile. And somehow, though the wizard would not openly admit it, it made him happy.

After all, not many things made him happy in his life. Not even his great castle, or his great power. Of course, he always felt -or should we say he was taught- that he should feel grateful for what he had. Teachings were absolute to him, and that was because in general, he could no tell if he truly felt anything towards the others... or his powers... or his wealth. He was not sure if he was sad, or proud or glad... Not to say that he did not feel anything at all. For example, he would be really grateful if he could describe that annoying feeling he was experiencing that day.

In his small garden, under the shadow of a lonely willow tree by the lake, his friend was laughing happily with a girl. He was running his fingers softly through her golden hair and she was looking back at him with loving eyes, placing her hand over his. He was happy for him of course, _yes_, that was certain, but the thought that he'd rather have her look at him like that pierced his heart and he could not make that horrible sensation go away. Did he want her for himself or did he want to experience what they shared, he wasn't sure and that uncertainty troubled him even more.

Regretfully enough, he could not bring himself to ask his friend what that feeling was. It felt inappropriate somehow. And though he searched for an answer alone, he wasn't able to find one. And, sadly, the most logical conclusion for him, was to distance himself from them as much as he could, because every time they were together he felt that he wanted to own their happiness... And that frightened him. The reason was that he was never sure if he was able to keep his power fully in check. By letting his desired free, maybe he would change reality itself. It happened in the past, when he was younger, why wouldn't it happen now? Would controlling others according to his will would make him happy?

But still, he couldn't help it. Even though he knew he was contradicting himself, these moments of happiness meant a lot to him. He could not part from them completely. So there he was, smiling with them, despite that bittersweet feeling.

_"Happy birthday"_ she said, presenting him with a rather unremarkable box. He was a bit surprised when he opened it. The little kitten let a small meow. It wasn't an unusual companion for a wizard, but a white one was an uncommon choice and surely it didn't completely fit his image. Odd, he thought but thanked them nevertheless. Though, how should he call it? He was not great at naming. His troubled expression wasn't hard to read as it seemed.

"How about naming her Elizabeth?" she suggested.

Not a bad name per se. And so, after looking at that small creature's eyes, he wondered if maybe... Just maybe, his wish was answered. As Elizabeth meowed and made herself comfortable in his arms, he realized that, unlike humans, she would keep him company for who he truly was and not because of the power he was holding. The fact that she was brought to him when a thread of confusing feelings was suffocating him felt like fate and but him at ease. He was grateful.

Since then, years passed. Andwhile the flowers in his garden grew bigger and more beautiful, he was spending his days growing more and more distant. Detached from almost everything, emotions almost stopped making sense to him. Maybe he didn't need them at all. People started to wonder if he had a heart. A cold stare, icy words... Even his people kept their distance. All he needed was his garden, Elizabeth and himself, these were his thoughts although from time to time he was drowning in a sweet nostalgia for the days he was spending more time his friends.

That's what he had decided. But was it really enough? That thought was coming back to him from time to time. It was one of those days, while nonchalantly spending time by the river, petting his beloved Elizabeth, when doubts started to grow in him again. If it was really enough, why he could not get rid of this uneasy and awful feeling? At least he could tell, that he hated feeling like this. He really... really hated it.

Furious at himself, he grabbed his purple cloak, right over the place of his heart. How could he make it go away? What was this feeling anyway? Don't you ever feel lonely? The words of his friend echoed in his mind, he had asked him that with a sad expression. Did he really feel lonely? If that was the case, was he feeling lonely from the moment he was born? He clenched his teeth and let a growl. He could not take it anymore. That empty feeling...

Elizabeth jumped out of his arms and landed a few steps away from him, her back legs just barely touched the water. She meowed worryingly. That snapped him out of it. He should be more careful. His inability to short out his feelings almost made Elizabeth fall into the lake, what a failure of an owner he was. He reached out his hands to pick her up, but she backed away. That brought his attention to the lake's surface.

At first, he rubbed the temple of his nose and closed his eyes for a moment in disbelief. He thought his mind was playing tricks. But as the small ripples disappeared, he could see it clearly... the image of a girl, under a starry knight, hugging her knees, sitting by the sea. The wind blew her short, dark brown hair softly, making her bangs fall slowly on her forehead, almost covering her light brown eyes. She was wearing weird, plain clothes but the scenery seemed so alien when so alluring to him, a million lights here illuminating the background. A strange city.

He noticed a small light coming out from a black, weird device she was holding in her hand, though she was not paying attention to it. Her expression seemed so serene, that he crawled closer, eager to take a better look.

_Who was she? Was she the answer to his question? Was she an illusion made out of his powers? _

Even as these questions popped in his mind, he couldn't help it. His fingers touched the water longingly, creating a few small ripples and with them, a melody broke the silence of his lonely garden. First the voice of a man accompanied by the music... and then hers, awkwardly following the lyrics of the song... A sad love song. Surprised at first that he could hear her and that he could understand her, he sat back, unable to take his eyes of her, feeling his heart beating faster and faster and faster...

_Who are you?_

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_Hello! It's your rusty writer Error205. Thanks for reading the prologue of this story! The angst! Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes, my english are not very good but I do hope that you will give a chance to the second chapter as well! I'm currently enjoying the game and got inspired after a long time to write a fanfic after consuming a lot of videos and fan theories. Lack of sleep may of may have not made this prologue make no sense. Anyway, thanks for reading!_


	2. Day 1

In a world driven by magic, nothing seemed impossible. Especially for those who held immense power. But immense power in that word could be a curse for those who held it. Misuse, either intentional or not, was not rare, but the true curse -as people used to say- was that wizards could not truly love.

That did not necessarily mean that they were unable to harbor romantic feelings; more that they were afraid to do so, or because they were more in love with their power instead of their partner. There were also many cases of wizards who, while harboring these kind of feelings, they were driven mad by them. At east that's what the stories said and people always kept their distance. Were they afraid of their powers or of what they could do with it for the people they loved, who could tell? Falling in love with a wizard was always considered a taboo.

Thus, a romance between a wizard and a human, a case of true love, was rare but marrying out of convenience was not. When he looked at his friends, he wondered if destiny brought them together. If true love was supposed to be so rare for people like them, then it should be probably it. But they what about him then? Just when he decided that he had no use of this kind of a relationship, doubts were filling his mind and then that happened.

Were they right? Was he loosing his mind after all? Day after day, he was visiting the lake, leaning over the water, impatiently waiting to see her. At first, it was pure curiosity, mixed with a subtle attraction, but as the days were passing, he found himself, as he would describe, enchanted. First, it was her smile, then they way she blinked when she was confused. Moments of naivety, the way she was awkwardly touching the tip of her bangs while she was talking to a stranger, even how she wrinkled her nose when she was getting annoyed. Moments, snippets of her everyday life… and how… how he was dying to hear her voice. He was praying every time that he would be able to, since the first time he heard her. And every chance he had to do so, he was afraid that he could not listen to her properly over his heartbeat.

Day by day, he was loosing himself more and more. He was standing there for hours. Even Elizabeth could not distract him. He lost his appetite, but felt a constant weird feeling in his stomach. He wasn't feeling weak but felt feverish all the time. The part around the lake bloomed wildly. To his eyes was the most special place after all.

It wasn't like he was trying to hide it, but this change in him did not go unnoticed. In his rare visits, his friend realized that something was not normal. However, trying to respect his friend, he did not push him to open up, despite voicing his concerns.

Sadly, he was not the only one to notice. Wizards were not uncommon to have an aide, especially if they were widely recognized. In this case, his loving friend was accompanied of a rather troubling one. Caught for mischief and brought to serve as a reform, the auburn-haired mage watched the two men talking from afar. It wasn't hard for him to notice the surprise face he made then they announced their sudden visit or how conflicted he looked when his friend told him that he would be staying there for a while. Though he did welcome him as a guest to his house, he did not look very happy about it.

As the two of them immersed in a conversation, the young mage excused himself from the room, alleging that he would like to rest, but he did not hesitate to leave the castle completely. He curiously walked towards the lake and finally stood over the spot the man was standing when they arrived. A bit hesitant at first, he reached his hand over the water and clicked his tongue frustrated. With his powers suppressed, her was not sure if it would work but he proceeded anyway… _Reverse. _

He was taken aback. The image of a girl… It was the last thing he was expecting to see, but what surprised him the most was the image of a world he was not familiar with. Tall buildings and strange carriages with no animals, he felt excited. Was it a bridge between the two worlds? He touched the water but his hand sunk in it. Nothing happened. So it was more like a mirror then.

"Oh, she is eating..."

She was munching something crunchy out of a weird back… and though it didn't look very appetizing to him, the girl looked really happy with it. She even did a small victory dance after the first bit. He let a chuckle. Who would look like that while eating something that looked like this? He covered his smile with his hand. Actually, she was kind of cute now that he was looking at her.

"Oh..." the image vanished. He was a bit disappointed.

Now what should he do? The wizard's secret was out of the bag. A link to another world, a strange girl. The mechanics of the world always amazed him, but what was thrilling him the most was the idea of another world, the opportunity to escape from a life he did not consider particularly exciting. Finding a rift and not trying to use it… The Wizard was a strange man. If he had his powers and if he wanted to see a girl to the point of not eating properly because he was thinking of her, he would do everything he could to cross to the other side.

"Luciel..."

Ah, he hated that name. Smile… Smile… He forced one to his face almost naturally. His master was there followed by that man. He looked restless, his long dark brown hair here tied back, his bangs here falling falling messily into his face. He looked restless or was he pissed? What was that man thinking? Falling for an unknown girl while he was good looking and powerful enough to take any bride he wanted. Keeping something like that to himself, shouldn't it be be considered selfish?

"Victor..."  
"What are you doing her?"  
"Ah… I just felt like I was needing fresh air."  
"You should not come here..."

So that man finally spoke to him after ignoring him all this time. The flustered expression on his face brought a strange sense of satisfaction to the young mage. Maybe he could make use of this. He grinned.

"I thought I would find Elizabeth here, but she was with you all along! Come here, Elly!"

He was ready to hug the fluffy, white cat when her owner blocked his way. His onyx eyes looked at him coldly. Elizabeth hid under his purple cloak. He started back, almost challenging for a moment and then smiled widely. It was clear that this man would never want to share anything precious to him, but at the same time he didn't seem to know how it was to loose something precious.

"Come on! Just a hug!" he laughed.  
"Go-away," he hissed.  
"Ivan..."

The stern voice of his friend made him back down. The look on his face softened as Victor shook his head in disappointment. He looked down, a bit embarrassed and then picked up his cat softly, not before giving him one last warning look.

"Victor, as I said, you are welcomed to stay at my castle as long as you wish… But this is my special place. I don't really want an outsider walking around freely."  
"OK… Ok… There is no need to worry… It's not like I will steal your girl!" he said.

He almost regretted saying that. As much as he was hoping for a reaction, he could not expect one like that. He took a step back nervously. This man's glare felt so empty… It was... frightening. Were they the eyes of a man who was ready to do everything for the things he thought he owned?

"Elizabeth is clearly yours after all," he continued.

The man paused for a moment as he heard these words. It seemed that he realized that he had overreacted for no reason. He looked at the red haired man silent for a moment, the lowered his glare and then gazed at his cat who was meowing in his hard. His fingers run through her white fur gently. He let a weak smile.

"That's a fact. Elizabeth will never betray me," he muttered, the cat meowed in response. "Victor… No matter how much I like you, I'd like you to keep your aide in check. Well then, I bit you goodnight. I'll make sure your rooms will be ready for the night."

He turned his back to them and left.

"So cold," he commented but stopped after seeing Victor glaring at him.  
"I know, I know… my bad," he held up his arm condescendingly.  
"Please, don't rill up trouble," Victor warned him before following his friend to the castle.

He stood there. His smile had vanished.

"It's not like I was trying to!" he cried. "It's not like I was trying to..." he repeated and looked at the lake. "But I can not promise anything..."

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_Hello, it's your rust writer Error205. I thought that the use or the names Victor and Ivan were not confusing for use. I thought I used use different names for the magic world. Victor somehow felt appropriate for V. Also his character design kind of reminded him Victor from Yuri on Ice and I thought it suited him. As for Jumin, I found out that the name meaning was similar to that of the name John, but I went for the Russian Ivan anyway, instead of keeping the J. Somehow it sounded more fitted for a wizard._

_That's it. Thanks for reading!_


	3. Day 2

There he was again, to his beloved spot, looking like a mad man while smiling at he lake. He even whispered something from time to time. But that expression of happiness on his face, the more he was watching him, the more he started to envy it. The young mage could not really understand him at first. It was like falling in love with an apparatus in a summer night. Could he even be sure that this girl was real? And even if she were, what's the point of just looking at her? If it were him, he'd want to find out. Looking at her would not be enough.

He was leaving, looking like a wounded animal again. He always looked like that every time it ended. And then it was his turn. He was waiting patiently every time until the wizard was back to his castle. Rewinding the scenes again and again. He could understand him a bit, after all, he slowly realized that he had started to enjoy this too. But not even trying to find a way to contact her… That he could not understand.

"Oh, she got a new hand-light device… The screen looks different… Is it more powerful than the last one she had? Eh? Why the troubled expression…? Are you bad at handling it?" he laughed.  
"You know, you should stop this..."

His laughter stopped immediately. It's not like he hadn't sensed her, but he didn't really care anymore. Though he knew that if the wizard would find out, it'd be a huge problem to his plans. In a sense, it was good that she approached him fist. He let a deep sigh and fell back on the grass, using his hands as a pillow. A white haired girl, dressed in a light blue cloak was looking down at him, her blue eyes were shining under the moon.

"Elly! You are cute as always!"

He cat ears twitched. You could tell she was angry for her hardened expression. For her to transform and come to him ao aoon, maybe he'd really let his guard down. He smiled at her, she kicked him in response. How cruel.

"You really suit your master," he touched his rib in pain.  
"What are you planning?" she asked in a demanding tone.  
"Nothing really."  
"Liar."

"How rude! I'm a good guy you know! I will not hurt your master. No need to worry."  
"It's not like you can, not physically at least. He is stronger than you. You've no chance of winning."  
"Now that hurt" he comically touched his chest over the place of his hurt. "Elly, you are really proud of your master, I want someone to cheer for me like that too!"  
"Of course I am," she placed her hands on her hips. "So whatever you are thinking, stop, or I'll tell Victor."  
"But I already told you, I'm not that interested in your master."  
"Good then," she crossed her hands like the deal was done.  
"That girl and her world on the other hand are fairly interesting," he admitted sitting up and re-winded the scene again.  
"Stop it!" she immediately stood between him and the lake cutting his vision. "This girl is important to my master, you shall not have anything to do with her!"

She looking at him angrily and showed her fangs, covering the scene further with her fluffy tail. Short and skinny, her long white hair touching her knees, but still small, he had a lot of courage to stand like that in front of him. He whistled with admiration but that raised her temper. He was not taking her seriously and it was obvious. She bit her lip.

_"Well, she is still a child after all..."_

He stood up abruptly and placed his hands on her shoulders. That startled her but her attempt to escape his grip was futile. His smile made her sick. After watching her master for years the girl could distinguish a real, genuine smile full of hope from a sad, fake one full of pain. That genuine one she had started to see on his face recently was the one she wanted to protect. But what could she do? She had no powers, she could not stop that man alone. That feeling of despair brought tears in her eyes.

"Eh? Elly… I'm sorry," the man loosened his grip. "I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized and took a few steps back.  
"I'm not scared," she sniffed her nose and wiped the tears from her eyes quickly. "I'm really going to tell on you. I'll tell Victor, he will stop you."

She rubbed her eyes, trying to make her tears to stop. The girl felt pathetic, using Victor's name like that to protect her master. She knew her master would not approve of this if he knew. The man fell silent, that was odd. Her body shuddered, sensing strange vibes and she looked up. He had a hollow expression, standing there in front of her like a soulless doll.

"What are you going to tell him?" he murmed.  
"Eh?"  
"Are you going to tell him that your master discovered a rift and kept it to himself? Not telling anyone. Isn't it suspicious? They will patch it as soon as they find out and he will never see her again. He might get punished to."  
"No, Victor will unders-"  
"Will he?"

She hesitate and averted her gaze. She looked at the lake then back at him.

"You can do it though. Then maybe I'll tell your master that you are not a normal cat and that you were the one who told Victor. I bet he'll feel betrayed… twice as much."  
"You wouldn't dare! Why would you do that?" she cried.  
"You are the one who threatened me first, you know."

What was that strange man thinking? Would he dare to go that far? He should have never come to their house. Somehow she could tell that this man's action would eventually lead her master to despair, and yet she could not hate him, she had seen that expression a million time, she could recognize it; that feeling of emptyness and loneliness… same as her master's.

"Elly… What if I told you..." he leaned over her. "...That he might have the power to see her?"

Even though she was hoping for that, she always thought that it would be impossible. Wishing for a miracle to happen, for that girl to end up in their world somehow, for her master to find love… His words made her heart beat with hope. He eyes widened with the thought. She glanced at the lake with the corner of her eyes. Could it really be possible? Was he just teasing her? She'd do anything to make it happen. For her master, for the happy family she always wished to be part of. And maybe one day, she could show him who she really was, maybe, unlike the others, he'd pat her head and tell her she was a cute child while smiling.

"Can he?" she asked. "...Luciel, answer me… How? She clawed on his shirt. "Answer me, Luciel."  
"Well… He might be… But I'm not sure it will work."  
"Why are you not sure?" she asked desperately. "You just said that her can!"  
"Ah… Then let me correct myself," he scratched the back of his head. "He might be, if you help him."  
"Eh?"

The garden was really quiet under the starry night. The wind was blowing softly, making the willow's leaves waver slowly. A few croaks here and there were breaking the silence. She removed her claws from the fabric of his shirt and let her hands hang by her side. Was he serious? He wasn't even looking at her. But it seemed so.

"How can I help him? Unlike you, I have no power."  
"But, oh, you have," he placed his right hand on her back slowly and made her face the lake. "you just have to wish for it, as strong as you can in order to give them a chance to meet."  
"A chance to meet?"  
"Yes, that's exactly what you have to wish for. Don't you want to give him that chance?"  
"I do!" she balled her fist with determination. "I want my master to have a chance to meet her! I'll always support him! So I want him to meet her," she let her tears fall. "I want him to be happy! So please let them meet! Please, help them meet!"

Her warm tears run to the edge of her face and fell on the ground. For the master who gave her a home, even though he didn't know what she really was, for the man who was the closest thing she had to a father. A ray of light circled her feet. Unsure about her fate, she closed her eyes ready for whatever was awaiting her. A faint light illuminated her whole body and then after giving the read-haired man a sad smile, she dispersed into bright sparks. And just like that, she was gone.

"She did it..." he could not process what happened for a moment. "She really did it..." his knees abandoned him, he fell on the ground supporting his body with his hand. "So it was true… The book was right…." he smiled. "I'm sorry Elly… Just wait… I think everything is going to work now."

~~~  
_'Oh, that's an unusual visitor. I wonder how you ended up here. What am I? A wizard of course. I grant wished…. A wish? Of course I already knew that. You wouldn't be here otherwise. So?… A chance to meet, so you can all be together? A simple wish. I understand then. But you have to pay a prince… Your memories. Are you ok with that? … I see, you are very determined. Than, I shall grant your wish, consider it done. However, just so you know, a chance does not guarantee success… It doesn't mean that they will be together. He has to achieve that on his own… I see, you hadn't thought about that, but you can not chance your wish…. I see, you trust him a lot. Well then, have fun in your new reality. May you find happiness.'  
_~~~_  
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_It's Elizabeth the 3rd! _

_Error 205 here. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reading!_


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